


Lost and Found

by littlequietone



Series: Jagged [1]
Category: Adam Lambert (Musician)
Genre: F/M, M/M, Pack Dynamics
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2013-01-15
Updated: 2013-07-29
Packaged: 2017-11-25 15:50:10
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Rape/Non-Con
Chapters: 7
Words: 7,471
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/640490
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/littlequietone/pseuds/littlequietone
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>"His name is... was... Adam."</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. We Are Fallen

**Author's Note:**

> I know it's short, but it's meant to be a prequel, a teaser of sorts.

(Adam)

Hungry. It was so _hungry_. Vaguely, it remembered what pride felt like. Self-respect. Those were ripped out of it long ago. It knocked over the trash can, not even flinching at the bang of the metal hitting the concrete. It was used to that sound by now. There wasn’t much, just a few scraps, a pizza crust here or there, some fruit that was still halfway decent. It’d eaten worse. Drool dripping from its jaws, it sank its muzzle into the trash and ate.

It managed to get most of the food before the owner of the building came out, yelling and throwing a shoe at it. It scurried away, growling. Some time ago, it would have understood those words. Its current reality had no room for spoken language. It snapped its jaws once or twice in annoyance, nicking its lip. Blood and froth covering its face, it turned and moved on.

* * *

(Tommy)

The bed smelled like soap and family. Tommy rubbed his face against the soft pillow, sinking back into a dream, when a familiar scent made his nose twitch. He was instantly in the kitchen. "Is that coffee I smell?"

"Go easy on it, Tommy Joe. It didn't do anything to you," Izzy said, pouring Tommy a cup. Tommy took it in both hands and took a long drink, loving the bitter taste. Caffine. Drink of champions. He sat down at the table and basked in happiness. The rest of the hunter pack sauntered in, welcoming Tommy to the land of the living. Well, excuse him for enjoying his sleep.

"What's on the agenda for today?" Tommy asked. "We got a gig?"

They often played at local clubs for some spending money. They were all fairly young, and not in a regular pack for some reason or another. Tommy didn't give a fuck about being different. These wolves were his family now. 

"Nope," Samuel said, dropping a thick stack of paper on the table. "We got work."

Tommy looked at the stack like it had ten legs and a hundred tiny teeth. "I am not reading that. It's fucking thick. And I bet it's the usual shit."

"Oh no, not a rogue group of youn wolves this time. The city's got a feral rogue wolf."

Tommy smirked. "Let's go hunting."


	2. Blood and Challenge

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> They start hunting.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Yeah, so 383 words is not enough of a hook.

(Adam)

(this "recollection" takes place over several weeks)

For  while, sickness wracked its body. It's jaws were always covered in froth and drool because it was throwing up so much. Fever made it pant. It wanted to just lay down and go to sleep. But something, something inside it wouldn't let it. Everytime it would go down, something yelled at it to get up and move. _Move!_ Eventually, the fever passed.

It learned quickly that humans were both good and bad. Where there were humans, there was food. But humans were violent, frightful things that took to throwing rocks at it and screaming. It quickly learned that bearing it's teeth was the only way to get a decent meal. It could even chase humans away from their food and get more than scraps. There was no day or night. There was only hunger and sleep and pain and need. It was getting stronger too, the more it ate. Stumbling steps turned into graceful gliding. 

Its hair slowly began to grow back. There were still bald patches, but it no longer let the rats chew on it during the night. It found that shadows hid it, corners protected it. It had been afraid, but not so much anymore. What did it have to fear from humans? They had blunt teeth, no claws, with lanky and weak bodies. Eventually, the thrown stones only made it move enough to avoid them. It was no longer some weak, shrinking little thing. It was strong. It was hunger and violence.

Rats went from an annoyance to a game. It became a master at catching them, and soon, it had more than enough to eat. It paid no attention to the phases of the moon and how they were changing, even though it sang to her beauty. It had no sense of time. It was here and this was now. 

There had once been dogs and cats here. It no longer saw them. They avoided it as much as they could. The rats began to scurry away whenever its scent was near. It began to hunger again. It chased humans away from their meals, raiding their garbage, and every once in a while, glancing at them. Could they outrun it?

* * *

(Tommy)

Tommy was glad it was a short drive to this particular city, because "99 Bottles of Beer on the Wall" was only funny when you were drunk, and Jason was dangerously close to being hyper enough to start singing it just to agravate Tommy. Tommy didn't mind riding in cars, but when the entire pack insisted that they could all fit into one car along with all the stuff they needed, he was nver a happy camper. Being small and short, he was always stuffed into the tiniest places to make room for more people and gear. He was sitting on the floor infront of the back seat, currently. He was just glad he'd avoided being put in the trunk. 

He stretched and shoved away from his friends as soon as they got out of the car. Being small did not mean he liked being cramped in small areas or between two of his larger packmates. They'd stopped in a small corner parking lot for the local park. No one ever used this parking lot and it gave them a decent amount of cover. Tommy looked around, already itching with the urge to hunt, the excitement of it. 

After Samuel pulled the weapons bag out of the car, Tommy got his things. He tucked a silver knife into each of his boots, a bottle of silver powder in his pocket, and put his handgun in his shoulder holster, which was covered by his leather jacket. Most wolves didn't like being that close to silver, but Tommy knew what he was doing with these weapons. He wouldn't accidentally hurt himself.

 "So what's the deal on this one?" Tommy asked Samuel, leaning against the hood of the car.

"You would know if you'd read the report," Samuel said.

"We've been over this," Tommy said. "It was fucking long." 

Samuel shook his head and rolled his eyes. "The feral wolf has been in this city for almost two months now. Most people thought it was a stray dog, and it was sickly for a long time, so no one did anything. They thought it would just die. However, when it began killing cats and dogs, the local pack looked into it and found it was, in fact, a were. They were going to try to take care of it themselves, but it knows their scents. They can't get close to it."

"How dangerous is it?" Tommy asked.

"It's been stalking humans," Samuel said. "There haven't been any reported attacks, but... it's only a matter of time."

Tommy nodded. They'd seen it before. Feral weres had no sense of time, identity, or humanity. They were more animal than anything else, but with an edge of smarts that some animals didn't have. They remembered things better. It made it difficult because it meant that they couldn't try the same technique twice. It would learn with every fight. What was worse was that feral wolves often had been traumatized. While they may not remember it in the human sense, it made them violent. Their very beings seeked revenge, even if not on the ones who hurt them. And humans were defenseless, the perfect targets. No feral wolf had ever managed to stay in a city without attacking humans. Like Samuel said, it was only a matter of time.

"We should observe it first," Izzy said. "See if we can get it on tape. The humans will freak out if they find out it's actually a feral were, not just a stray dog. We can't just charge in head-first. This thing survived a serious illness. It won't be easy to catch."

They decided to leave some fresh meat in a deserted alley with cameras set up. They left the meat overnight before returning to the spot to find it gone. They checked the video tapes in the hotel room they were staying at. At first there were a few stray dogs and street rats that came up to eat. Tommy squirmed out of boredom when they watched the tapes. He hated doing research like this. About an hour into the tape, however, the dogs looked up and scattered. 

In this dim light, it wasn't easy to see, but it was clearly a very large black wolf. It tore into the meat, gulping down huge chunks. When the meat was gone, it laid down and rolled in the pool of blood. Its tongue rolled out of the side of its mouth as it panted happily. It got up and shook itself before sniffing the air. It's eyes fixed on the camera, shining a startling blue. It walked over to the camera and sniffed it. With a snarl, it sank its teeth into the stand. The video shook as the camera was knocked over. The picture went fuzzy, showing a few images of the wolf walking away before the screen went blank.

Jason chuckled. "Seems it smelled us on the camera." Jason was a short, stocky thing, covered in tattoos with a shaved head. He looked a bit like a ganster-wannabe, but he was a good guy and a good hunter. Tommy wouldn't trade any one of these people for the world. 

There were six of them: Tommy Joe, Samuel, Jason, Izzy, Luke, and Bobby, who would murder you if you called her Roberta. Samuel was the kind of unspoken Alpha. He was the best at organizing things and taking control. Luke was probably at the bottom of the pecking order since he was so quiet and shy. But other than that, there was no real established hierarchy. They didn't need one because they did not interact with "real" packs much. And there were so few of them. Izzy was a tall girl, with curly blonde hair and startling green eyes. Luke was of average height, quiet with brown hair. Bobby was short and curvy with long dark hair that she could almost sit on. All together, they didn't look like the most imposing group. But they had the highest record of any hunter pack.

Hunter packs. They did the dirty work of the were world. The Council set the rules and the Alphas managed wolves within their packs. But for problems like rogues, runaways, young rogue packs, feral wolves, or any mess that needed to be cleaned up, really, hunter packs were called in. They were usually rag-tag groups of young wolves that either had nowhere else to go or had some sort of issue with their original pack. Tommy had never told his story to anyone. That was one of the rules in their "family": don't ask about pasts.

"It was big," Tommy said. "It looked like a male, and a strong one. It won't be an easy kill." He was practically bouncing on the end of the bed.

"Don't sound so excited, Tommy Joe," Samuel chastized.

Tommy couldn't help it. He lived for this. He loved it. He wasn't one for killing, but he loved hunting and having to devise creative ways to win. He grinned. "But it looks like a good hunt."

"Maybe we should try to catch it," Luke said suddenly. They all turned and looked at him, making him shrink down uncomfortably. "I mean... no one has ever caught a feral wolf. We don't know much about them. And we have a cage back home where we can contain him. We'd be the only hunter pack to be able to study a feral and how they act."

"That's not a bad idea," Jason said. 

It wasn't. Hunter packs competed for the right to exist. They got paid to do their jobs, but packs would only call the best ones. So far, their pack was the best. But they were always looking for a competitive edge.

"We'll think about it," Samuel said. "It could be too violent." Some trapped feral wolves would kill themselves by running into the walls of the cage or chewing their own paws off out of frustration. 

"We'll just have to keep hunting it, then," Tommy said, smirking. "Learn more about it." He glanced at the screen, which had been frozen on a frame of the feral wolf looking into the camera. Tommy could have sworn he almost saw defiance in its gaze.

Challenge accepted.


	3. Adam

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Tommy's job gets personal.

(Adam)

It was out for blood. They were in its territory. They smelled like pain and fear and hurt and anger. It wanted them out. It would not stop.

* * *

(Tommy)

Tommy was the first to encounter the feral male. They'd been leaving their scents in various places, trying to contain it and keep it away from more populated parts of the city. It had backfired. The male _followed_ their scents, arrogantly marking in the places where they had. This male was so fucking dominant. It couldn't stand anyone in its territory. After they figured this out, however, they realised they could lead it where they wanted it to go. Different strategy, same result.

Tommy was the one designated to mark this particular part of the city. He was a cream-colored male, small for his age. Halfway through his route, a strong, spicy scent wafted across the air. He lifted his head and was able to move just fast enough to avoid the rogue. When he got his footing again, he stared at the black wolf. Good Moon, the thing was _huge_. Muscular. Strong. It roared at him, eyes flashing with bloodlust. 

For a moment, Tommy thought, the scent seemed familiar. But he had no time to try and figure out why. Izzy, Bobby, Jason and he had stayed in the city to work while Samuel and Luke had gone home to prepare a cage to contain it. Home was a long way away. It would be a long run. But if Tommy stayed here, the thing was going to rip him to shreds. He could only try to contain it. He would have to hope he could make it. He looked at the wolf and bared his teeth.

_Catch me if you can._

He  took off then, nails scraping the concrete. He could hear the male chasing him. He could feel its rage and hate pouring off it. Wolves could sense other wolves. It was easier if they were part of the same pack, but if the feelings were strong enough, they could feel strange wolves. There was nothing human inside this feral male. It wanted him dead. It wanted his flesh between its jaws. That spurred Tommy on. He knew that if he was caught, the bigger wolf would seriously injure him, if not kill him. He was lucky he'd been born fast.

The chase was a long one. Tommy's paws were torn and bleeding by the time they got home. His breath came in a forced wheeze. It was the wolf inside him that kept him going because he could still hear the feral male following him and his wolf would never give in to certain death. He ran to the back yard where the cage was and pulled open the door with his teeth. He stood in the doorway, waiting. 

A human might have seen the trick, but this wolf was all animal. It came running, lunging for Tommy. Tommy dodged just in time as the male leapt through the door, trying to get him. Tommy hurried and pushed the door shut unil it locked with a click. Almost as soon as he did, the male hit the door with all its force. The bars shook with the blow. Tommy stood back and watched, tense. The wolf was strong, but... the bars held, and Tommy relaxed. The black male was reduced to pacing the perimeter of the cage, energy and lividity oozing out of it. It bared its teeth. Tommy had no doubt if the male got out that he would be the first one it would go after.

Tommy changed into his human form, the change healing some of his wounds, but not all. He'd be sore for a long, long time. He watch the wolf, wondering what it must be like to be trapped in one form. Tommy loved his wolf form, but he loved his human form too. They were both a part of him. To be stuck in one without the other... he shook his head, not wanting to think about it. 

That was when the scent caught him again. He leaned in and took a deep breath, closing his eyes. He knew this scent. Somehow, somewhere, he'd smelled it before. He strained to remember. How did he know this male?

When it hit him, his breath came out in a shocked whush. He stood and went inside, grabbing some clothes. Samuel and Luke were there, blinking at him.

"He's in the cage," Tommy said softly. He couldn't refer to the male as "it" anymore. He just couldn't. "He chased me here."

"Well, that's convenient," Samuel said. "But you're an idiot." He tilted his head to the side. "What? What is it?"

Tommy sat down. "I know him."

"What?" Samuel said. "How? You didn't recognize him before."

"That's because I didn't know him or his scent as a wolf," Tommy said softly. "I knew him as a human."

"Good Moon, he's a Bitten?" Luke whispered in horror. Most humans didn't survive the bite of a werewolf. Those that did, one in thousands, would change. It was a process no born wolf wanted to see. It was literally watching someone fall apart. However, it didn't cause insanity. That was the worrisome part. If the change didn't cause the male to go feral, what did?

"What's his name?" Samuel asked.

"Adam," Tommy whispered. "His name is... was... Adam."


	4. "He"

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry it's short, guys. I'm working on it.

_*many years ago*_

_"Ready or not, here I come!"_

_Tommy uncovered his eyes and glanced around. Sure, the park didn't have as many trees or bushes as the woods did, but there were still plenty of places to hide. He checked the most obvious places first: behind trees and in the jungle gym, but the other boy wasn't there. He pouted. Humans shouldn't be this hard to find. He then smiled impishly and tilted his head back, searching for scents in the air. After a moment, he found what he was looking for, the scent of a young male and the unique spiciness of this particular one he had grown to know so well. He followed it to a tree and looked around before finlly looking up, seeing a boy amongst the leaves. "I see you, Adam!"_

_"Aww, man, I never win!" Adam climbed down. "How do you always find me, Tommy?"_

_Tommy grinned. It was true that Adam had been nearly invisible in the tree, and Tommy had only seen him because he knew he was there. "Because I'm awesome."_

_They laughed and went to sit down where the benches were, pulling out some snacks that they had brought. They spent most of their free time at the park together. Tommy enjoyed getting away from the other pups in his pack. They always teased him for being a runt. Being around a human made him feel strong and in control. But it was more than that now. Adam was his, in a way. Tommy was protective of the happy-go-lucky boy._

_"Dang," Tommy said. "I forgot to pack my brownie." He scowled. Dessert was the best part of the meal._

_"Here, you can have mine." Adam handed him a plastic-wrapped morsel of goodness._

_"You don't have to," Tommy said, trying not to drool._

_"No, take it."_

_Tommy took it and pulled it in half, offering Adam back half of it. They both giggled._

* * *

* _Tommy's POV_ *

"So you two were playmates," Jason said. 

"He was a nice break from the pack," Tommy replied. "To him, I was just another kid."

"What happened?" Samuel asked.

"I moved away and we lost contact," Tommy said. "I never had a number or adress for him, he was just 'Adam'. I didn't even know his last name. After a while, I guess I forgot about him."

"Then why are you so upset about this now?" Bobby asked. 

"Because he was _happy_ ," Tommy whispered. "I never saw the boy frown. And he was like... I don't know, almost like a pet. We stuck up for each other when other kids were around. I protected him when we were little. He was just a little ball of joy. And now, to know that something so bad happened to him that he lost it..."

"You know the most humane thing would be to end him," Samuel said softly.

"No," Tommy growled, holding Samuel's gaze. "I won't put a bullet in Adam."

"He's not Adam anymore!"

Tommy stood, baring his teeth. He and Samuel usually got along, but if there was one person here who would challenge Samuel's authority, it was Tommy.

"Let's just wait a bit and see what happens," Luke said. "We were planning on keeping him anyway. The fact that Tommy knows him shouldn't change that."

"Fine, we'll try it," Samuel said, glaring down Tommy. Tommy knew what Samuel's problem was. Samuel was all for keeping a feral rogue and studying it. But now that he knew, they knew, who he'd been before he'd been bitten, Samuel was nervous.

He was nervous that Tommy Joe was going to let him go.

* * *

* _Adam's POV_ *

(this takes place over a long period of time)

It was trapped. It could see the moon and the sun above it, but metal enclosed it. The wolves _traitors-tresspassers-kidnappers-killers-predators-injurers-enemies_ stood on the other side of the bars. It had charged the bars a few times, but found they were strong and secure. It was reduced to pacing the perimeter of its new home.

They made noises at it. At first, it snarled and barked at them, hating the noises that burned its ears, but eventually it just ignored them. They fed it. They gave it water. They would even come inside the cage every once in a while. It ignored them. They fed it, so it was not hungry enough to hunt them for food. And they left whenever it got close enough to attack them for fun. They were nothing to it.

Except the one. The one smelled like home and honey and power and thunder and it would have none of it. While it grew to tolerate the others, it would not let the one close to it.

At some point, it began to anticipate their visits. It learned that they would leave for days, if not weeks at a time. Someone always came to feed it, but it grew to miss them. When they came back, they would always come to see it. Starved for connection, it began to let them close, all except the one, but would still not touch them. They seemed fairly content with its nonviolent attitude. It found that four of them were the same and two were different. It was like the four.

It was a "he". 

 


	5. Dominance

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Adam and Tommy go at it.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This story has been... trudging along. But now I think I finally know what I want to do with it.

(Adam's POV)

He lifted his lip in a toothy scowl. 

He'd been letting them into the enclosure for some time now. The eye of the moon had been round and full several times, marking how long he'd spent in the cage. They had grown comfortable around him. They even played simple games with him, throwing a stick for him to chase. Three males. Two females. Trying to be his pack.

He'd accepted the five. They were strong. Young. They were a suitable pack. But now that other male had been brought into his territory. Normally this contact between them was avoided. They must have figured he'd become tame.

No more.

* * *

(Tommy's POV)

"Holy hell! Samuel! Gentle!" Tommy snapped, squirming. Luke and Jason were having to hold him down as Samuel disinfected his wounds and stitched him up. It wasn't that he couldn't take the pain. Wolves just didn't handle pain lying down well. It went against every instinct in his body to let Samuel hurt him.

"I'm trying, Tommy Joe," Samuel growled. "He did a number on your side."

"I can't believe he attacked you like that," Luke murmured.

"We were stupid," Bobby said. "We knew he didn't like Tommy."

"We should put him down," Samuel said.

"No!" Tommy snapped.

"He's dangerous. The only reason you aren't dead is because we were there to fend him off."

"He just caught me by surprise, is all."

"That's not the issue here. The issue is he tried to kill you."

"He attacked me, no you all," Tommy said. "Because something in him recognizes me, knows I'm different. Adam is in there somewhere."

"Feral wolves don't come back. We've had him for months. We've studied his behavior. We got what we wanted to get. He's a danger." Samuel's eyes narrowed. "It's time to put him down."

Tommy didn't know when he'd moved, just that he was off the table and nose-to=nose with Samuel, eyes locked in a battle of dominance. Low growls rumbled out of their chests.

"Do you really think you'd win?" Samuel whispered. "Wounded like you are."

Tommy's jaw clenched. He wanted to break Samuel's face into a million pieces for saying that. But his body was honest. His side ached and burned, the injured muscles twitching with strain. 

"One week," Tommy said. "Let me heal." Praise the fast-healing of weres. "If I can get him under control, we keep him."

"And how do you plan to do that?" Samuel asked, raising a brow. 

"I'm going to make him submit."

* * *

(Adam's POV)

He smelled the male before he saw him. _That_ male. The one he'd been so close to killing. He'd extinguish that scent forever.

It had been a quarter of a moon since he'd attacked the male. He smelled the defiance in the air, the danger. It had him running the perimeter of his enclosure. Every so often he'd skid to a stop, his claws digging into the ground, and throw back his head as he let out a great hunting bay. A call of challenge. As he watched the male approach his enclosure, he grew increasingly still. He held his tail high, his ears pricked forward and his fur on end to make himself look bigger. He was barely contained violence, about to burst.

When the male entered his enclosure, in wolf form, the two circled each other. He licked his lips, relishing in the moment. And then they collided.

It was a storm of tooth and claw. He was bigger, but the male was faster and more agile. They were well-matched. He got a few good blows in, tearing into the male's flank and shredding one of his ears. He barely noticed his own pain. One of his legs was hurt, refusing to do as he commanded. Blood clouded his field of vision. But he did not relent. For him, there was nothing else. This, this fight, this life, this was it. There was no end in sight.

There was once difference between him and the male. He was fighting to the death. It was the only thing that gave him an advantage against someone this experienced.  The fury continued until he found the male sprawled beneath him, his vulnerable belly and neck exposed. This was his chance to kill him, before the male could regain his bearings.

The whine stopped him dead in his tracks.

He snarled, stumbling backward and scratching at his own face with his paws. Something inside his mind itched, burned. The other male's whine scalded his ears. He pulled back his lips in a snarl as he panted, tongue lolling out.

* * *

(Tommy's POV)

Tommy had underestimated Adam. He would never have won because he wasn't trying to kill Adam, where as Adam had been trying to kill him. When he'd found himself in a vulnerable position, he'd whined in horror.

It was clear Adam was confused now. He paced in tight circles, pawing at his ears and head. Tommy couldn't understand why Adam had stopped. But all that mattered was that he had. Suddenly, Tommy had a crazy idea. So crazy, it just might work. He flattened his stomach to the ground and crawled over to Adam, tail low and wagging. His put his ears back submissively and licked Adam's muzzle. 

Adam froze, looking at him with wild eyes. Even now, there was nothing human in those eyes. But after a moment, he slowly began to relax. Tommy breathed out a sigh when Adam sniffed his neck and nuzzled him. It solved the problem. Tommy was Adam's now. Adam's to protect. 

Perhaps Tommy couldn't dominate Adam, but he could sure as hell submit to him.


	6. "Tommy"

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Tommy and Adam spend some time together.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Feels good to work on this again, but my internet connection isn't cooperating!

(Tommy's POV)

"Adam. A-dam. Adam, Adam, Adam." With every repitition, Tommy tapped Adam on the nose with his finger.

Fucking A, Tommy should have showed Adam his stomach weeks ago! It would have solved so many of their problems. Adam was shy as a child, but his wolf was dominant as fuck. Tommy was dominant as well, but he didn't mind submitting to Adam. After all, Adam was just an animal right now. It was Tommy's choice. Tommy was taming him. It was so much easier now! Adam was kind as a kitten with all of them because he didn't feel threatened. They'd even been able to let him out of the enclosure to walk around the property. He stayed close because Tommy was there, and Tommy was  _his_. 

Adam snarled and nipped Tommy's hand in warning, just like he did every time Tommy tried to teach him his name. Tommy sighed. He was happy Adam wasn't voilent anymore, but it still hurt to see him like this.

Ah, well, he could still play with him. He'd had a long day, too. Tracked down a rogue criminal with his pack. Time to unwind.

He stood and stripped his shirt off, then his pants and boxers. He let out a soft, rough noise as the shift coursed through him. Soon, he was standing next to Adam in wolf form. He hopped around, nuzzling Adam and nipping slightly. Adam growled and Tommy parted his lips in a toothy grin before taking off into the woods.

* * *

(Adam's POV)

He watched as a tan-colored male disappeared into the thicket. He licked his lips, relishing the challenge. It stirred something primal in him, the need to chase and claim. He trotted off into the woods after the male, in no rush. His movements were almost lazy, arrogant. He trailed his nose along the ground, following the sweet scent of the male. He paused for a moment to roll in a particularly strong patch of the scent. That which had once struck fear into him was now addicting.

He took his time in the forest, carefully following the scent. There were several twists, tricks that would have gotten him lost if he hadn't been paying attention. So he moved slowly, catching each whiff of scent on a tree, or a rock. Slowly, the scent began to build. That was the thing about setting scent traps when one was being chased. If they worked, it was worthwhile. But they took time. He was gaining on the male.

His pace began to quicken as he got closer to his quarry. Careful planning gave way to impatience and desire. Soon he was running full-out, the scent telling him he was just behind the male. 

* * *

(Tommy's POV)

Tommy's heartbeat quickened as he heard the snap of a twig behind him.  _Close_  behind him. He dug his claws into the ground and stretched his body out, taking longer strides to increase his speed. The last time he had run from this wolf, it had been for his life. This was for fun, to satisfy the beasts in them both, and the thought filled his body with giddy excitement. Without having to worry for his hide, he could have fun with it. He twisted around trees, giving Adam a good chase. His left ear twitched as he picked up the trickle of a nearby stream. He abruptly changed course, using a rock to ricochet off of, heading towards the creek.

He leapt out into the air, landing in the water. His claws dug in as he fought to gain grip on the mossy rocks. The water rushed around him, halfway up his legs. It wasn't too cold, but in his wolf form, he didn't really care about temperature. He turned just as Adam leapt into the water, looking at him. His ears were pricked with excitement, the water droplets glistening on his black fur like stars in a new moon night sky. Adam's teeth met in the air, a warning and a challenge. He lunged at Tommy. With his smaller size, Tommy could more easily scramble across the slick rocks. And he had navigated this particular creek before. 

Adam let out a snarl of frustration as he follow Tommy, trying his best to pick through the rocks. Tommy let out a bark of laugher and continued. He managed to make it to the bank and took off into a run, hoping getting out of the creek would slow Adam down. 

He let out a yelp of surprise when he felt jaws wrap gently around his shoulder and a weight hit him, sending him tumbling. He stopped with the heavy weight on him. Adam stood, his back legs on either side of Tommy, his front paws pressin Tommy into the ground. Tommy went relaxed and pliant under him, showing he was caught.  Adam growled low in his throat, a sound that was just a little too feral for Tommy's liking. He moved to get out fron underneath Adam when he felt the black wolf testing his teeth on the back of his neck. Tommy gasped, letting out quite the pathetic little squeak. An odd fire sparked beneath his skin. He pressed back into Adam, letting out a low growl of his own. 

A nearby howl, close, too close, broke Tommy out of the trance. He snapped at Adam, rolling the other male off him. Adam growled in annoyance and stiffened when he heard the next howl. He lifted his head, tail up and ears forward in the perfect picture of dominance, snarling. Tommy nudged him with his nose, trying to calm him. Tommy could handle a feral wolf, but it was all-to-easy to get one going on a killing spree.

Several wolves walked out of the forest into the clearing, turning into their human forms. They were unafraid. They had a right to be. 

They were fucking  _Council servents_. The eyes and ears of the Council members.

Tommy lowered his belly to the ground in a show of submission before turning into his own human form. "Welcome."

"Thomas." One of the females nodded. Tommy wasn't surprised she knw him. He was a dominant wolf from a hunter pack. Not exactly common. The Council tended to keep tabs on him, so did their... lackies. She glanced at Adam. "And...?"

Adam snapped his teeth lunging forward when she made eye contact with him. So blatantly dominant. Tommy grabbed him by the scruff of the neck to hold him back. Adam glared at him with a low rumble. Tommy let out a while, trying to appease Adam and keep this from turning bloody.

"Is that a feral were?" She narrowed her eyes. "It listens to you?"

"He," Tommy corrected.

"Does he? Listen to you?"

"Something like that," Tommy mumbled, looking away and not relinquishing his hold on Adam. "He trusts me."

"He's not dangerous?"

"I didn't say he wasn't dangerous. I said he trusted me."

She folded her arms over her chest, lips quirking in a smirk. "The Council will be interested in how you've tamed a feral. You must bring him in. On a leash, of course."

Tommy bit back a snarl. She was so arrogant. Even the Council members were usually a little more respectful. "We will, of course, give them all our records on ... this feral." He wouldn't call him Adam. Not to anyone but the Council members, and only because he had to.

"There's a meeting the next full moon at the local gathering place. Be there. With your pet. See you then, Tommy." She turned and left with the others. 

Tommy hated bitches who were bitches. 

He looked down at Adam, who was staring up at him. His mind flicked back to that heat he'd felt when Adam bit him. He shoved it from his mind. It just didn't make sense.

* * *

(Adam's POV)

This male was his. 

His "Tommy".

 


	7. Not Coming Back

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The Council meeting.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm BAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAACK!

(Adam's POV)

Oh. Hell. No. 

* * *

(Tommy's POV)

They'd been working on the leash. After all, it was what the council servant had required, and Tommy had enough things to worry about. He wasn't going to piss off the Council just be not leashing Adam. He could find a much better reason to pick a fight. They'd gotten a thick collar on Adam, who now only scratched at it a bit, and were working on walking with the leash. Adam had chewed through the first three. Now they were using a chain lead, something he couldn't chew through. 

"Adam, MOVE!" Tommy pulled on the leash, but the black wolf didn't budge. It just looked at him with a mildy annoyed expression. "Adam, you've got to walk on a leash. I know it's humiliating, but get OVER it!"

"I have an idea," Jason said. 

"No one wants to hear your ideas, Jason," Luke called from where he was sitting, not even looking up from his book.

Jason flicked him off and spoke anyways. "He likes your wolf form, right? Transform and take the leash in your mouth. Walk him that way so he gets used to giving to the pressure of the lead."

Luke actually looked up. "That's honestly not a bad idea..."

Tommy had to admit it wasn't. At least it would get Adam used to the leash. He quickly stripped and shifted. Adam's ears pricked in interest, but he didn't move. Tommy picked up the end of the leash in his mouth and gave it a yank. Adam still didn't move. Tommy sighed and went into a play bow, wagging his tail. Slowly, Adam took to his feet and took a step towards Tommy. Step by step, Tommy got him to move with the leash. It was slow-going, but it was better than the sitting strike Adam had been doing before.

"We should be getting this on video," Samuel said, watching. 

Tommy glanced at Samuel and snorted. 

Samuel shrugged. "What?"

* * *

(Tommy's POV)

They'd had to muzzle Adam. It had gone over about as well as you would think it would. Jason had stitches. However, now that Tommy Joe was holding the leash, Adam had calmed down... mostly. He was still snarling at everyone around. Hence, the muzzle.

It didn't help that their having a rogue on a leash was the talk of the meeting. Everyone wanted to see. They were getting all sorts of questions about how they'd tamed him. Some people even dared to ask if they'd sedated him. Which, then, of course led to several wolves sniffing him, looking for any trace of a tranquilizer. 

Again, hence, the muzzle.

"Thomas."

Tommy looked up at his name. He knew that voice. It was one of the Council members... and one he didn't particularly want to meet. "Hello... Mother."

"Is this your rogue?" At least she hadn't called him a pet. But his mother had always been pretty diplomatic. 

"Yes."

"You've gotten him to walk on a leash. Impressive. Come, let us chat." Tommy and his pack followed her and the other Council members. They were taken into a decent sized meeting room and sat down. Tommy ran his fingers through Adam's thick coat, to comfort both himself and Adam.

One of the males raised his brows. "He lets you touch him like that?"

"Tommy is very close to him," Samuel said.

"And why is that?" Tommy's mother murmured. Her name was Karen, but he was definitely not allowed to call her that. He'd done it once. Never again...

"Because I knew him before he was bitten." Yes, it was a serious risk to tell her the truth, but he knew way better than to lie. 

There was a soft murmur from the Council. Karen narrowed her eyes a bit. "You knew this wolf as a human?"

Tommy sighed. "Yes. When I was younger. So he recognizes me."

"Not to mention the fact that they just seem to get along," Bobby said, putting her two cents in. 

"It took a little while," Tommy said. "At first, he seemed to really hate me. But... I think maybe he's coming back."

The Council exchanged looks, then dismissed them. "Go ahead and see the others about your recent missions. And write up some reports on that rogue. This has potential to be quite the study."

As they were leaving, Karen stopped Tommy. "Tommy Joe," she said softly, using the less formal name, more his mother than a Council Alpha. "You know that rogues don't come back."

"Mom," Tommy said softly. "He's changing. He... he's becoming tame. I think he's coming back."

"It's _impossible_." 

"Just because it's never happened doesn't mean it can't!" Tommy hissed at her. 

She looked at him, her eyes soft. "You care for him. You've never had think kind of loyalty to anyone before, enough to risk life and limb for them." 

Tommy blushed, slightly insulted. "I care about the guys!"

"True, you do, but not like this. We can all see the way you look at him. You REALLY care. And he was a human."

Tommy looked at the ground, toe tracing patterns on the floor. "We were good friends when we were human. But I've been working with him for months now, one-on-one, and he's really changing, I can see it in his eyes."

Karen sighed. "Just be careful, Tommy Joe. He's still unpredictable."

"Trust me, I know that."

"And remember to get those reports to us. We don't know much about rogues." She slapped his shoulder lightly. "Now, go find that mess of misfits you call a pack."

Tommy smiled and walked off, taking Adam with him. He truely did love his mother. 

The rest of the meeting went pretty well. After a while, Adam calmed down. The other wolves were now giving him a bit of space, so he'd relaxed. All the business was taken care of, and the feast was  over. So, the wolves were just laying around and relaxing. Tommy didn't mind this part of the meeting much. He was staying away from any of his old packmates. He so didn't need that drama right now. 

The wolves began to raise their voices to the setting sun. Tommy couldn't help but join in. When there were this many wolves around, in their peaceful a place, he just couldn't resist. He'd taken the muzzle off Adam after he'd calmed down and was happy to hear that rich voice join in. That is, until it cut off.

* * *

(Adam's POV)

Agony.

His skin felt like it was on fire. His bones were stretching, nearly making his muscles tear, pulling his body in unusual shapes. Fuck, he didn't BEND that way! His vision was cutting in and out, giving him only flashes. Wolves surrounded him, then people, barely lit, with a blood-red sky behind them. He tried to scream, but it was stripped short as his lungs spasmed. He scrambled backwards, crouching, trying anthing just to get away from the pain. 

Claws flinched and grew, curling into fingers, flicking back into claws, going back and forth. Black fur gave way to freckled skin, but only for a moment before the silky dark pelt flowed back over it like waves on the shore, coming and receeding. He writhed on the ground, mouth opening in soundless screams, twisted with sharp teeth protruding grotesquely.

He curled up against the pain, whining. After a bit, it slowed, then vanished. Cold wind licked at his skin, making him shiver. He blinked, vision blurry and swirling. Groaning, he held his head, curling up again, hoping maybe the world would decide to hold still for a second. As he closed his eyes tightly and waited for the vertigo to go away, he heard a soft sound.

"...Adam?"

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> There is a sequel to this!!! (or, you know, there will be. when I write one)


End file.
